Dear Diary,
It was time to put phase two into place. I collected all of the items that Geoffrey left at my house and began packing them into a box. When I was done, I logged onto my computer and began searching on a local florist's website. This particular florist specialized in unique arrangements. I saw one of long stemmed black and red roses and felt that they were perfect for what I wanted to do. Geoffrey's wedding anniversary was approaching and it created the perfect window of opportunity for what I was planning to do next.
While placing the order, Geoffrey called me in a panic. I asked him what was wrong. He told me that there was some mix-up at the bank and that all of his money was gone. I had to stop myself from smirking so that he wouldn't hear me through the phone. I asked him what happened and if he contacted the bank. He then mumbled some nonsense about the bank not being able to help him. I told him that perhaps he should go into the bank to find out what was going on with his account. He said that he would see about it the next day and he then fell silent. Now I am pretty sure that he intentionally did that with the expectation that I would offer to lend him some money until he straightened himself out. Truth be told, a good woman who is holding her man down would be willing to do so but clearly this was not the case.
Like a game of chicken, I kept my mouth shut and waited for him to speak first. After a long drawn out pause, Geoffrey finally asked me if I could lend him five hundred dollars until he got paid the following week. I asked him if he wasn't listening when I told him I was trying to keep my house out of foreclosure. He then had the audacity to ask me when my next pay day was. Just like Omar predicted, he lost his unemployment benefits and had no clue where his money had gone and was now in a state of desperation. I would love to be a fly on the wall when he tries to explain to his wife where his money went. Just then, I heard the message indicator on my cell phone. The app for the dating website indicated that I had a new email message from Geoffrey. Wow, that was fast I thought. Then I realized that Geoffrey wrote the email while he and I were speaking on the phone. I shook my head. The boy was such a friggin' loser it was quite sad. I told Geoffrey that I had to go and that I would call him back.
I walked over to my computer and signed into my account. Sure enough, there was an email from Geoffrey posing as Jason and it read:
Hey beautiful! Thanks for the hit. I'm new to the area and was recently transferred to Atlanta from LA. I work in the music business as a sound engineer and I'm looking to make some new friends. I'm new to this on line dating thing so I'm not sure how this works. My number is below. Give me a call. - Jason
I called Omar and told him that Geoffrey did exactly what Omar said he would do. Omar told me to write back and tell him that I was only comfortable with emailing for now and to ask him some basic questions about having children, ever having been married, stuff that we knew he would lie about. Omar felt that if Geoffrey was desperate enough, he would try to fast track meeting me in person and then we could move to the next phase. So I sent Geoffrey a response email and ended it with a question about what he liked to do so that he would be compelled to write back
I returned to the kitchen and finished packing up Geoffrey's things and then headed out to run some errands. I was in the greeting card section of the supermarket when it dawned on me that I should buy a card and write Geoffrey's wife a letter telling her what was going on. What better way for Geoffrey to celebrate his anniversary than explaining to his wife who I was and the lies he would need to create to get out of the hole that he had dug for himself. I thumbed through quite a few greeting cards until I found the perfect one. It was a beautiful card with an embossed red, black, and white velvet design. The message on the cover said "To My Loving Wife on Our Anniversary." The card was perfect. I found the matching red envelope and headed to the gift wrapping section. I found some red metallic wrapping paper and bought enough black satin ribbon to make a very large bow.
As I headed to the cashier, my phone buzzed. I had another message from Geoffrey. It read:
No wife, no kids. My hectic work schedule hasn't really given me enough time to settle down. As a matter of fact, I fly out to Houston at the end of the week. I'm working with Rick Ross in the studio on his new album. I hope I'm not being too forward, but I would love to meet you at least one time before I leave town. If you are not comfortable with that, I totally understand. Just let me know.
- Jason
Rick Ross? Really? His dumb ass was really thinking that shit like this was impressive. I shook my head and called Omar who said it was time to move onto the next phase. He told me to go ahead and set up the meeting and he would take it from there. I told Omar that the only way this was happening was if I was taking part of what was next. We argued back and forth until he finally agreed to let me go with him to the meeting place. Omar knew me well enough to know that I wasn't going to listen to him anyway so arguing with me was a waste of his time. Omar said that Saturday would work for him. Turned out, Saturday was Geoffrey's wedding anniversary but I didn't bother to mention it to Omar as another plan began to form in my mind. I told Omar that I had to go and hurried home. I quickly wrapped the box containing Geoffrey's items and then settled down to write his wife a letter outlining everything that had been going on. I wanted to get it out to the post office so that it would arrive at Geoffrey's house on Saturday. Before I began writing the letter, I sent Geoffrey a message on the dating website and told him that I could meet with him Saturday evening and gave him the address to a diner 20 minutes away from his house.
I decided that I needed some writing music so I put on Beyonce's Irreplaceable in homage to my beautifully wrapped box which was to the left of the door to the garage.
I then logged out of my account and started a new document and began writing the letter:
Dear Terry -
I am pretty sure that you are now beginning to wonder what in the world is going on because by now, you know that these "gifts" are not from your husband. In the last few months, I have been seeing your husband, however, I did not know that he was married. I met him on an online dating site and I have enclosed a copy of his profile and the emails that he and I exchanged prior to our meeting. You see, your husband led me to believe that he was single and had recently moved here from Los Angeles. He claimed that he had his masters in Computer Engineering and that he was transferred by the record label that he claimed he work for to Atlanta and was looking to make new friends. He claimed that he didn't have any children and that due to his busy work schedule, it was hard for him to find a woman who understood his "lifestyle." So imagine my surprise when I found out that not only he is married, but he has a child as well.
Now as to how I found out how he was married, in the box that I sent to you with his belongings is a flash drive containing all kinds of information including photos of other women he possibly have scammed. I copied these files from the flash drive that he always wore on a lanyard around his neck. Once you look at the files, you will understand why he always kept it close to his person. The negro slept with it for Pete's sake and somehow managed to leave it in my bed. I saw your wedding photos and the photos from your vacation in Disney with your son. I found his resume with his real name and home address. He told me that his name was Jason Xanvier and clearly it is not. Your husband lied to me about his entire existence as I am sure he has done with other women that he has met from the dating website. I'm sure that he scammed them as well. Your husband not only scammed me out of nearly $1000, he also stole my credit card and went on a shopping spree. He even bought me a gift with my own credit card. Go figure. After some digging, I've learned more about your husband's past than I would have had like to have known. If I had known his real name from jump, he would have never gotten this close to me. He gained access to my home and stole my ipod and a very expensive watch and I am sure both items have ended up at a pawn shop somewhere. I allowed this man to sleep in my bed, hang out in my house. Spend nights at my house only for him to steal from me. There are some days when I look back, I think your husband would have robbed me when I was not home if it was not for my security system. I mean, why wouldn't he? He thinks that as long as I don't know his real identity, he can never get caught. Well the joke is now on him because not only do I know his real identity, I also know that in the last ten years, he has been in and out of jail for quite a few crimes but credit card theft seems to be his favorite one.
You are probably wondering why I am telling you all of this. Part of me is angry but part of me feels that you need to know the kind of man that you are married to. I don't know if you know about his criminal history because for all I know he could have lied to you about it and as most people know, when one is in love, one refuses to acknowledge what is right in front of their face. Or perhaps you knew about his past and hoped that you would be the one to save him from himself and change him. Either way, I hope that you take this time to re-evaluate the kind of person you are dealing with. Who knows how many women he has scammed. Who knows how many of them he may have slept with and who knows if he used protection or not. Regardless of anything, he has put you at risk of your own health and well being. Whether it be physical or mental.
I can't tell you what to do but I can tell you this much, there is no way in hell I am going to let your husband get away with what he did to me. I only felt that it was fair that I privy you to what has been going on before shit got real. Should you decided to not heed my warning, you put yourself at risk for collateral damage. It's up to you. You don't need to know who I am right now as I'm sure you are looking for a name or a return address. It's not on the envelope. As you can see the return address is yours. Should I decided to reveal my identity to you, it will be by my rules as I am the one who will be driving at the wheel of this bus. Beep beep. Look out cuz HERE I COME.
No Regards,
Karma, as I am a Bitch
I signed the card and addressed the envelope. I enclosed copies of the dating profile and the emails then headed out to the post office. I dropped the letter off and made arrangements with a local courier to have the box delivered. I know it sounds like I was spending money unnecessarily but I needed to do what I felt like what was going to make me feel better. I know it seems petty but I needed to do something to get back at Geoffrey. I don't just want him to hurt. I want him to pay for what he did to me and if that meant that his wife had to be collateral damage, then so be it. There have been moments where I was more angry at the fact that I allowed myself to get bamboozled but then I think about how many other women who probably suffered the same and didn't even know it. I felt justified in exacting revenge on this asshole and that was exactly what I was going to do.
I picked up the phone to call Omar and I realized that my phone was on silent. I had seven missed calls and messages from Geoffrey. I listened to his messages and he kept asking me to answer the phone. The last message sounded crazy and frantic and he said that he needed his flash drive. I went back home and was thankful to see Omar's truck in the driveway. When I got inside, I played the messages for him and Omar instructed me to make arrangements with Geoffrey for the next day so that he could get his flash drive. Omar didn't want me to give Geoffrey a reason to show up at my house unannounced out of desperation. Geoffrey was apparently getting nervous that I might look at the flash drive and I'm sure that he found it quite strange that I had it for so long and hadn't looked at it yet. Or so he thought. Since I had made several copies of the files, there was no need to hold onto it anymore. I was going into the office the next day anyway so I figured that he could meet me at my job and get his stupid flash drive.
My phone rang again and this time I answered as I put the call on speaker. Geoffrey said that he needed his flash drive and that he wanted to come by to get it. I told him that I wasn't home and that he could meet me at my job the next morning. I don't know why but I felt like getting under his skin. I asked him if he followed up with the bank about his missing money. He said that he did and that he got his money back. I gave Omar a look because we knew that was a lie. So I then in turn asked if he had my half of the money for the trip and he said yes and that he would give it to me the next day. We set up a time to meet and I got off of the phone. Omar asked me if I was okay with meeting up with ol' boy alone and I said that it was fine because security was quite heavy at my job and they were real police officers so I would be okay. I had a long and exhausting day and I just wanted to go to bed so I assured Omar once again that I would be fine and gave him a kiss on the cheek goodnight and headed upstairs.
As I got ready for bed, my phone beeped. It was Geoffrey sending my alias an email confirming that he could meet me Saturday afternoon as he claimed he had to fly out to Houston Saturday night. He probably had celebration plans for his anniversary with his wife that evening. That was perfect anyway because he would not be at home when the package for his wife arrived. I wrote him back and told him that I would see him then. I smiled as I crawled in the bed. In less than 48 hours, I was going to unleash a wrath that I am sure Geoffrey had never experienced.
The next morning, I was in my office when Geoffrey called me and said that he was downstairs in the parking lot. I took a deep breath and grabbed the flash drive. This would be the first time that I had seen Geoffrey since I discovered who he really was. I threw my shades on because I didn't want him to see my eyes. As stoic as my face was, I was afraid that my eyes would tell on me. As I exited the building, I looked at the security station to make sure that someone was posted there. I exhaled not realizing that I was holding my breath and that my heart was racing. Although I had a plan in place, I still felt nervous. I approached Geoffrey's truck and stood outside of the driver's side. I wanted to make this as quick as possible.
He asked me if I had the drive and I then in turn asked if he had my money. He said that the money was in the bank but he couldn't get to it at the moment. I rolled my eyes and threw the drive at him. Geoffrey asked me what was my problem and I told him that I was having a rough morning at work. He asked me what I was doing after work and I told him that I was meeting one of my girlfriends for dinner. He responded by telling me that I needed to stay my ass home and stop going out so much. It took everything in me to not lash out and ask him if he was afraid that I may see him out with his wife or some other poor victim from the dating website. I forced myself to hold my composure and asked him what business of it was his what I did on my own free time and that he didn't own me. I then stated that I needed to get back to work and walked off.
By the time I got back to my office, Geoffrey was calling me on my cell phone. I simply answered the phone by saying, "What?"
"Where the hell are my files?" he asked.
"I don't know what you are talking about," I replied.
"Half of my files are missing."
"Jason, I have no idea what you are talking about. I don't even know what the hell is on your stupid flash drive. You said that it's for work so it's of no use to me."
"Are you trying to play me?" Geoffrey asked. "You think you are so slick."
"Again, what the hell are you talking about? If anything you are the one trying to be slick. Where the hell is my money?"
"Listen, fuck that. We are going on that trip so stop trying to back out of it," Geoffrey said firmly.
Instead of wasting another five minutes of my life that I wouldn't be able to get back, I decided not to argue with Geoffrey. I was about to have him by the testicles in twenty-four hours so at this point, arguing would have been a waste of time.
"Number one, watch your mouth. I'm a lady and I don't play that cursing at me shit. Number two, I have to go back to work, I don't have time for this right now. Good-bye Jason." I then ended the call.
My mind started to race. I was trying to figure out what he was talking about regarding his files. It then occurred to me, there was a time when I was making a third copy of flash drive and I vaguely remembered that there was something different about the list of files. It did look shorter. I then realized that I may have moved some of the files to the new drive by mistake. Shit. He knows I looked at it. I called Omar and told him what happened. He told me that as long as I didn't let on that I knew the truth about Geoffrey's identity, it would be fine. I just needed to keep playing the part.
Later that night, I called Geoffrey and did like Omar told me to do. I played the role. I spoke carefully as to avoid getting into another argument. I asked him if we could hang out the next day but he said that he had to work. Of course I knew that this was a lie because he had plans with his new "victim." We talked for a few minutes and he then abruptly told me that he had to go. I figured that his wife must have shown up so I got off of the phone.
Omar then walked into my bedroom and asked me if I was okay. I told him that I was fine. I debated whether or not to tell him about the letter and the box and I decided not to. I had plans for the wife. Geoffrey needed more than just empty and idle threats. Making him crap in his pants was not enough for me. He needed to understand that I had the power to blow his life up so badly that he would never be able to piece it back together ever again. Omar asked me if I was ready to go through with the plan and I assured him that I would be okay. I knew that no matter what happened the next day, my life course would never be the same again. The damage was already done and my ability to trust new people was completely gone. I felt that I would have no remorse for what was coming down the pikes because the bastard deserved what was coming and I was making sure that I got to him through his wife. I didn't care if she got hurt in the process because in my mind, it would benefit her in the long run.
Omar looked at me and told me that I had to stick to the script and no going rouge. It was as if he knew I had something else planned. I simply said that I understood. I felt like he was trying to warn me and I suddenly felt strange. I dismissed the feeling and went to bed. The next day was D-Day and I could not wait to put the plan into action as I knew I was about to take one hell of a ride down the path of revenge....
©All original content copyright Kim M. Washington, 2012-2013.
©All original content copyright Kim M. Washington, 2012-2013.
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